hi everyone i am going to buy new tires for my 03 hemi sport qc and i was thinking about getting some 35x12.5x17 tires. I was wondering if these would fit with a 3" body lift? Also those of you that have tires like this how do they handle in the winter? Cuz my cousin told me that they havea tendency to slip around. Thanks for any help guys.

Dan

 

I was wondering the same thing. I just don't want to level the front.

 

Yup they'll fit. Just watch your offset and backspacing. Lots of guys run 35's withas little as a 2.5" level kit on the front. One guy I know with just the 2.5" level keys on his '04 just fits, but does scrub a little when flexing or carrying a load.
I have a good amount of extra room with my 4" suspension lift, so you should have no real issues.

As far as winter driving (I don't see much of that here in Fl., but I grew up in upstate N.Y. and have had 4x4's all my life). Opt for more of an AT tire than a MT tread and make sure it has a good bit of siping (the cuts or slots in the tread). Your cousin is way off base here because a bigger tire will lay a bigger footprint, giving better handling, and the heavily siped tires are made for rain/sleet/snow & ice.
I had Mickey Thompson MTX's when I lived in the snow belt and they were GREAT! Although only available up to 33" I'm posting a pic just to show you how much siping they have.

Those slots on every block is what you want to look for in an AT tire that will give you real good winter performance.

 

What your cousin is probably talking about is that a largertire is generally much wider, therefore distributes the trucks weight over a larger surface area (contact patch). Driving my whole life in the Northeast I will tell you when driving through snow it is far better to make your own tracks in snow than to drive in already laid tracks. Fallen snow is easier to bite into than packed snow. Most plow trucks you'll see tend to have a larger but still relatively narrow tire width compared to most AT's (BFG,Nitto,MT,DC,etc...)this narrower tirewill "dig" into the snow better thana wider tire whichincreases traction.However the generally more aggressive tread of an AT tire over astock tirecan make up for that. Wider tires tend to perform very well in mud partially due to some flotation characteristics. Hope this helps.

 

what they are saying is ture,i have an aggressive pattern in a 33x1250/17 an they work awsome in the snow,upstate new york sometimes get big snow fall and working for a town i have on choice but to drive in it,mostof the time i go to work in 2wd

 

I kinda agree with everyone on this. The narrower tire is going to "cut" thru the snow easier than a wider tire. As for making your own tracks, this works when its a powdery fresh snow. If your getting the real heavy mushy snow its better to follow other tracks that have already packed together though. The MTX's Hammer mentioned are good tires, but the ATZ's put them to shame even. They are an incredible tire. I have quite a few friends running them and they perform like a mud tire offroad and handle like a dream in snow/ice/slippery pavement. They are also made in a 35" tire too.